John Quincy Adams Born: July 11, 1767 – Braintree (Quincy), MA Death: February 23, 1848 – Washington DC Vice President: John C. Calhoun Term: 1825-1829 (6th President of the US) Political party: Democratic-Republican Thesis: Considering John Quincy Adams’ track record as Secretary of State, one would have expected great things from him as the sixth president of the United States. However, Adams proved to be a politician who didn’t fit in with the times. Losing popularity with political struggles at the very start of his term, he never believed in winning back supporters. “Old Man Eloquent” deserves a C for his presidency. His relationship with Congress rendered him unable to accomplish, for the most part, anything, leading to an utter lack of foreign affairs. Domestic affairs, which Adams primarily focused on, were his sole point of success, until the end of his term when he signed the harmful Tariff of Abominations. Goals: Adams had many goals too far sighted for America, still a young country. He wished for the development of the arts and sciences, and hoped to establish a national university. In addition, he advocated funding for scientific expeditions and an astronomical observatory. Many saw this as over ambitious and unrealistic for the early 1820s, while some believed he was trying to create a national elite, disregarding the common folk. It is not a shocker that these goals failed. Being a supporter of Clay’s American System, and a nationalist in his own right, he also wished to federally fund internal improvements, such as education and transportation. Due to the lack of support in Congress and in the south, the latter of which was concerned that Congress would be able to meddle in other local affairs, such as slavery, this goal was also very difficult to accomplish. Congressmen were also concerned that the roads and canals would benefit some parts of the country, and not others, bringing the federal government into regional affairs. However, he was successful for the most part. Relationship with Congress: After the election of 1824, no presidential candidate had the majority of electoral votes. John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Crawford had a three way tie, and the House of Representatives, under the 12th Amendment, would decide who would become president. Henry Clay, Speaker of the House and very persuasive, throws his support behind Adams, who ends up being elected. As president, he then makes Clay Secretary of State, a position many believed led to becoming president. This whole debacle became known as the “Corrupt Bargain”, and became fatal for the rest of Adams’ presidency. Not being a current politician, Adams never made an effort to win back supporters, and his proposals he made during his first address, such as the observatory, further alienated even his own political party, not to mention the Jacksonian Democrats. He also refused to dispose of officeholders who openly opposed him. In the elections of 1826, he lost control of both Houses of Congress. A great extent of what he wished to accomplish was vetoed by Congress, but he was able to make some internal improvements. Foreign affairs were also greatly limited by the Democrats, determined not to let Adams do anything noteworthy, as he had done in the past with the Monroe Doctrine, leading to reelection. For example, when the Latin American colonies met at Panama, and asked for representatives from the United States, Congress opposed funding the two delegates. Considering all this, it is not surprising that Adams achieved very little. Positives: While his strongly nationalistic views were sometimes a downfall to Adams, as he didn’t match the growing sense of sectionalism, he did make strides in internal improvement. The extension of the Cumberland Road into Ohio and the start of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal were just some of the developments he made, as well as harbor improvement. Better roads led to easier trade, and goods, as well as people, were more easily transported. Expansion and settlement, simple thanks to his advancements, was encouraged, as western lands were sold at a low price. The one thing Congress let Adams achieve, he did well. Negatives: Already coming into the presidency unpopular, Adams was very much out of tune with American society. Perhaps the worst decision he made was to sign the Tariff of 1828, later known as the Tariff of Abominations. He favored a high tariff, hoping to protect domestic industry. The act placed a tax on manufactured goods, which the South did not produce, and therefore did not benefit from. While the North did prosper from it, the South was very much angered, prompting division. Luckily for Adams, Jackson had to deal with the repercussions of this unfortunate mistake. Also, Adams’ honest, virtuous manner, while righteous, was conflicting with the rest of the United States. Opposed to simply annexing Native American land, he believed in the acquiring of their land by purchase or treaty, even though he wished to move them west of the Mississippi River. He even went so far as to refuse to sign a fraudulent treaty that removed Indians from their native land in Georgia, and to renegotiate it. The Georgian governor, openly nullifying Adams’ decision, used weapons to remove them from their lands. While it is commendable of Adams to stick up for the minority and what he believed was right, the handling of the situation left much to be desired, as national unity was needed. Future Generations: Because of his relationship with Congress, Adams was unable to make a large impact during his presidency. Most of his goals were shot down, and many improvements were vetoed. The Corrupt Bargain at the beginning of his term continued to haunt him, and his opposition was great and determined. The Jacksonian Democrats had control of both Houses in 1826, and therefore they were resolved to see him not succeed. The few improvements he did make consisted of new roads and canals, as he attempted to bring the different regions of the nation together. One can also see this nationalistic attitude in the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt; a century later they are following the example Adams set. FDR’s New Deal especially, can be linked back to Adams, as it also encouraged the improvement of new roads in rural areas and the expansion of education. The Tariff of Abominations had a more recent effect on future administrations, as Jackson was forced to deal with John C. Calhoun, the South Carolina Exposition, and the nullifiers. Conclusion: All in all, I believe John Quincy Adams neither significantly helped nor hurt America during his presidency. This was primarily because of his relationship with Congress, starting off horribly at the beginning of his term, and his inability, as well as his lack of desire, to win back supporters. Americans benefited from his internal improvements, but were hurt in the long run with the signing of the Tariff of Abominations and the nonexistence of foreign affairs. Seeing as how the nation was neither better nor worse off after he left office, Adams rightly deserves the grade of a C. Work Cited:
Born: July 11, 1767 – Braintree (Quincy), MA
Death: February 23, 1848 – Washington DC
Vice President: John C. Calhoun
Term: 1825-1829 (6th President of the US)
Political party: Democratic-Republican
Thesis:
Considering John Quincy Adams’ track record as Secretary of State, one would have expected great things from him as the sixth president of the United States. However, Adams proved to be a politician who didn’t fit in with the times. Losing popularity with political struggles at the very start of his term, he never believed in winning back supporters. “Old Man Eloquent” deserves a C for his presidency. His relationship with Congress rendered him unable to accomplish, for the most part, anything, leading to an utter lack of foreign affairs. Domestic affairs, which Adams primarily focused on, were his sole point of success, until the end of his term when he signed the harmful Tariff of Abominations.
Goals:
Adams had many goals too far sighted for America, still a young country. He wished for the development of the arts and sciences, and hoped to establish a national university. In addition, he advocated funding for scientific expeditions and an astronomical observatory. Many saw this as over ambitious and unrealistic for the early 1820s, while some believed he was trying to create a national elite, disregarding the common folk. It is not a shocker that these goals failed. Being a supporter of Clay’s American System, and a nationalist in his own right, he also wished to federally fund internal improvements, such as education and transportation. Due to the lack of support in Congress and in the south, the latter of which was concerned that Congress would be able to meddle in other local affairs, such as slavery, this goal was also very difficult to accomplish. Congressmen were also concerned that the roads and canals would benefit some parts of the country, and not others, bringing the federal government into regional affairs. However, he was successful for the most part.
Relationship with Congress:
After the election of 1824, no presidential candidate had the majority of electoral votes. John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and William Crawford had a three way tie, and the House of Representatives, under the 12th Amendment, would decide who would become president. Henry Clay, Speaker of the House and very persuasive, throws his support behind Adams, who ends up being elected. As president, he then makes Clay Secretary of State, a position many believed led to becoming president. This whole debacle became known as the “Corrupt Bargain”, and became fatal for the rest of Adams’ presidency. Not being a current politician, Adams never made an effort to win back supporters, and his proposals he made during his first address, such as the observatory, further alienated even his own political party, not to mention the Jacksonian Democrats. He also refused to dispose of officeholders who openly opposed him. In the elections of 1826, he lost control of both Houses of Congress. A great extent of what he wished to accomplish was vetoed by Congress, but he was able to make some internal improvements. Foreign affairs were also greatly limited by the Democrats, determined not to let Adams do anything noteworthy, as he had done in the past with the Monroe Doctrine, leading to reelection. For example, when the Latin American colonies met at Panama, and asked for representatives from the United States, Congress opposed funding the two delegates. Considering all this, it is not surprising that Adams achieved very little.
Positives:
While his strongly nationalistic views were sometimes a downfall to Adams, as he didn’t match the growing sense of sectionalism, he did make strides in internal improvement. The extension of the Cumberland Road into Ohio and the start of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal were just some of the developments he made, as well as harbor improvement. Better roads led to easier trade, and goods, as well as people, were more easily transported. Expansion and settlement, simple thanks to his advancements, was encouraged, as western lands were sold at a low price. The one thing Congress let Adams achieve, he did well.
Negatives:
Already coming into the presidency unpopular, Adams was very much out of tune with American society. Perhaps the worst decision he made was to sign the Tariff of 1828, later known as the Tariff of Abominations. He favored a high tariff, hoping to protect domestic industry. The act placed a tax on manufactured goods, which the South did not produce, and therefore did not benefit from. While the North did prosper from it, the South was very much angered, prompting division. Luckily for Adams, Jackson had to deal with the repercussions of this unfortunate mistake. Also, Adams’ honest, virtuous manner, while righteous, was conflicting with the rest of the United States. Opposed to simply annexing Native American land, he believed in the acquiring of their land by purchase or treaty, even though he wished to move them west of the Mississippi River. He even went so far as to refuse to sign a fraudulent treaty that removed Indians from their native land in Georgia, and to renegotiate it. The Georgian governor, openly nullifying Adams’ decision, used weapons to remove them from their lands. While it is commendable of Adams to stick up for the minority and what he believed was right, the handling of the situation left much to be desired, as national unity was needed.
Future Generations:
Because of his relationship with Congress, Adams was unable to make a large impact during his presidency. Most of his goals were shot down, and many improvements were vetoed. The Corrupt Bargain at the beginning of his term continued to haunt him, and his opposition was great and determined. The Jacksonian Democrats had control of both Houses in 1826, and therefore they were resolved to see him not succeed. The few improvements he did make consisted of new roads and canals, as he attempted to bring the different regions of the nation together. One can also see this nationalistic attitude in the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt; a century later they are following the example Adams set. FDR’s New Deal especially, can be linked back to Adams, as it also encouraged the improvement of new roads in rural areas and the expansion of education. The Tariff of Abominations had a more recent effect on future administrations, as Jackson was forced to deal with John C. Calhoun, the South Carolina Exposition, and the nullifiers.
Conclusion:
All in all, I believe John Quincy Adams neither significantly helped nor hurt America during his presidency. This was primarily because of his relationship with Congress, starting off horribly at the beginning of his term, and his inability, as well as his lack of desire, to win back supporters. Americans benefited from his internal improvements, but were hurt in the long run with the signing of the Tariff of Abominations and the nonexistence of foreign affairs. Seeing as how the nation was neither better nor worse off after he left office, Adams rightly deserves the grade of a C.
Work Cited:
"Adams National Historical Park - John Quincy Adams Biography Page 3 (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 04 Mar. 2010. <http://www.nps.gov/adam/jqa-bio-page-3.htm>.
"American President: John Quincy Adams." Miller Center of Public Affairs. Web. 05 Mar. 2010. <http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/jqadams>.
"On This Day: John Quincy Adams Elected President." FindingDulcinea | Online Guides | Internet Library | Web Resources. Web. 05 Mar. 2010. <http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/Feb/On-this-Day--House-Elects-John-Quincy-Adams-President.html>.
"The Presidency of John Quincy Adams." Digital History. Web. 05 Mar. 2010. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=636.
"